But the Yankees certainly have taken it to an eye-popping level this winter.

With the signing of Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka to a seven-year, $155 million contract -- first reported by Fox Sports -- the Yankees likely will have a $200 million-plus payroll (or close to it) in 2014.

More stunning, the Yankees, with the addition of Tanaka’s reported $22 million salary in 2014, will have eight players who will make at least $15 million this upcoming season. That figure would be nine, but Alex Rodriguez (and his $25 million salary) is currently suspended for 2014.

Hall-of-Famer-in-waiting shortstop Derek Jeter, is actually ninth(or 10th, if you count A-Rod) on the Yankees’ 2014 payroll at $12 million.

In comparison, the rest of the American League East has just five players who are scheduled to get $15 million or more in 2014. So the Yankees are winning that race, eight (or nine) to five. The Orioles have one, right fielder Nick Markakis; the Red Sox have two, first baseman Mike Napoli and right-handed pitcher John Lackey; the Toronto Blue Jays have two, shortstop Jose Reyes and left-handed pitcher Mark Buehrle; the Tampa Bay Rays have none.

Buehrle, whom the Miami Marlins initially signed to his huge deal before trading him to Toronto, is the only non-Yankee in the AL East who will make $17 million or more in 2014. He’ll get $18 million. The Yankees have six (seven with A-Rod) of those guys. And the Yankees own the only four (or five) players in the division who will make $20 million or more this upcoming season.

One last financial statistic on the Yankees splurge this winter: they bought five players (Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Hiroki Kuroda and Carlos Beltran) who will make a combined $91 million in 2014 alone. The Orioles’ current 2014 payroll, barring any big purchases and estimating a few contract adjustments, sits at about $82-$83 million right now.